10

The Media

"Welcome back to the emergency ZombieWatch, available only on Channel 6 Action News! We have been covering the situation in the beachside paradise of Haven City since the crisis began yesterday morning, and we're bringing you the latest information as it develops. This is Herb Frasier, it is now 4 AM, and this just in: we have acquired exclusive shots of the disaster from inside the city limits. We will show them now, but just as a warning, these images may be upsetting to some viewers… We now go to our very own zombie expert, Wade Coopwood, for his analysis on these astonishing pictures! Wade?"

"Thank you, Herb. Uh… as you can see, these pictures depict zombie creatures that appear… heavily mutated. I believe that one has a beehive around its head, likely for producing Queens, which as we all know, are the source of the zombie infection."

"Wade, I understand that it might be difficult to talk about your experience in Fortune City, but would you say that these creatures resemble the mutant zombies that emerged during the Fortune's End Outbreak?"

"...hmm… yeah, I guess in a way, they do, but this is still a different kind of zombie. The mutants in Fortune City resembled the typical zombie in most respects, but this is something else. You can see that their limbs are twisted and extending, and their skin is falling apart. These ones look even more inhuman, and I don't know what kind of mutagen strain could have caused this. Whatever it is, it's familiar, but also much different from what we saw in Fortune City."

"Thank you, Wade! These pictures were submitted to us online by an anonymous source who claims to be trapped inside Haven City. The situation is dire for any survivors still inside, as the United States government has initiated the Willamette Act, effectively blocking off the city and cutting off any route in or out of Haven City. Rumors are also spreading that the military is not enforcing a recent amendment allowing for survivors to escape through an official military checkpoint that would allow uninfected civilians to exit the quarantine zone after a short examination. Another source close to the military strike team that will be entering the city tomorrow claimed that Senator Sonya Paddock gave the order to seal off the city. We have reached out to Paddock, but she has not responded at this time.

"We now go live to our field reporter Jamie Reynolds, who is coming to us live from just outside the quarantine zone. Jamie, what can you tell us about the outbreak?"

"Well, Herb, as you can see behind me, the military wasted no time in setting up a wall and blocking off the highway until the outbreak has been dealt with. I can also confirm that the rumors of no checkpoints or exits for any uninfected survivors are true. As you can see behind me, a mob of protesters is demanding to know what is happening to their loved ones that are trapped inside Haven City. Ma'am! Excuse me, Ma'am! We're with Channel 6 Action News, and I was wondering if you could tell us what you think about all of this?"

"What do I think?! I think that it's ridiculous! The cities get more money to build the damn safehouses and we get a tax hike to pay for it, then they keep the money and demand Congress to establish military checkpoints instead of forcin' them to build safehouses, and now they don't even open the [censored] checkpoints! The government is taking us all for a ride here! How do they expect me to sit down while they lock my grandson in a zombie outbreak?!"

"Alright, thank you, ma'am, for your opinion-"

"I ain't finished! We know that Phenotrans was behind that whole thing in Fortune City and the government armed the terrorist in Willamette!"

"Actually, neither of those claims have been proven-"

"Yes they have! Frank West says so! You're a reporter, ain'tcha?! Who would you believe? The government covering their own [censored], or a man who was actually there and took the pictures that exposed them for the lying [censored] they are?! Far as I'm concerned, men like Frank West are the ones who oughta be tellin' us what's what!"

"Alright, thank you, ma'am! Ahem… we have received word that a medical center downtown has established themselves as a makeshift safehouse. If any survivors inside Haven City are listening to this broadcast, I urge them to seek shelter at the medical center until help arrives-!"

"Oh, so now they're makin' the hospitals into safehouses?!"

"Ma'am, please-!"

"Haha, thank you, Jamie! Right now, this incident has reignited the debate for mandatory Zombrex chipping due to dwindling supplies of the zombie parasite suppressant being blamed for starting not only the Haven City Outbreak, but numerous other incidents since the drug was developed shortly before the Las Vegas Outbreak. One notable individual in the argument is General John Hemlock, who recently called on Congress to make it illegal to refuse a Zombrex chip. This is an excerpt of what he said during a press conference yesterday evening."

"The time has long come for these cowards to end the threat of the zombie menace! Zombrex chips are safe, they have been tested and confirmed to be perfectly safe and far more effective than the Zombrex shots! It should be illegal for our government to refuse to guarantee the safety of its citizens like this!"

"General Hemlock's comments have hit hard with several representatives, with some from Colorado, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Minnesota all coming forward in the wake of this incident and announcing their support for legislature pushing for mandatory Zombrex chip implants inside infected citizens registered with the ZDC's official zombie infection registry.

"Whatever comes next, our hearts go out to anyone affected by this massive outbreak. The death toll is calculated to be in the thousands, nearly on the scale of the likes of Willamette, Las Vegas, and Fortune City. To anyone who has lost a loved one in Haven City, we here at Channel 6 Action News send out our deepest condolences. For ZombieWatch, I'm Herb Frasier. More on this story as it develops."